Ex-Goldman, Noble execs target July launch for Asia hedge fund

HONG KONG, June 9 (Reuters) - Guard Capital Management, a
hedge fund start-up by two top traders formerly with Goldman
Sachs and Noble Group, is aiming to launch next month and has
hired at least four executives, one person with knowledge of the
matter said.

The hedge fund is being led by Leland Lim, who was the
co-head of macro trading for Asia Pacific ex-Japan at Goldman
Sachs Group Inc, and Allan Bedwick, the former head of
macro trading in Asia for Noble Group.

The launch comes as the first signs of recover in the
industry surfaces after six tough years for capital raising.
Asia-focused hedge funds added $20 billion in 2013, their first
asset growth in three years, according to data from AsiaHedge.

The Hong Kong-based macro hedge fund has hired Matthew
Edwards from Grosvenor Capital Management as head of business
development, while Freda Chan, the former chief operating
officer of fund of hedge funds Vision Investment, has joined as
the head of operations, the person said.

Bin Gao, a former BofA Merrill Lynch rates strategist, has
joined as head of strategy. Sean Giefing, who worked at Nomura
Holdings in London as well as hedge fund BlueCrest,
will head the trading team, the person added.

The start-up capital of the fund was not immediately clear,
the person said, declining to be named as the matter remained
confidential.

Guard spokesman Matthew Edwards declined to comment on the
matter when asked by Reuters. The hedge fund is waiting for a
licence in Hong Kong to start operating.
(Reporting by Nishant Kumar; Editing by Miral Fahmy)